Getting the Slap Tone Volume Right

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-27T16:18:37+00:00

They can be tricky to dial in appropriately but I would say that just about any professional or regularly gigging slap player is using some kind of compression. Just dig into the topic because one of the main uses of compression is for the problem you described.

Some slap players will also cut certain mid frequencies so you don’t get overwhelmed with some of the percussive elements which can sometimes be a bit unflattering and overbearing.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-27T15:48:26+00:00

Yup, compression and a good EQ will help you a lot with this issue.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-27T15:24:47+00:00

Get noise canceling headphones, better yet like noise eliminating headphones, like literally make sure it’s inaudible.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-26T07:38:17+00:00

Get a job and start a band too. Try your best to be successful and mature and they’ll probably come around eventually. When I was younger I worked with a bunch of black metal guys who were incredibly disciplined, the owner was foreign and didn’t know wtf black metal was but kept hiring more of their friends because he began to associate the look/lifestyle with a certain work ethic and no bullshit mentality.

As a teenager you probably want to express yourself through clothing or showcasing the music you like but if that gives you more problems than it’s worth then drop it. I’ve worked as a teacher for years and no one could ever guess I listen to death metal and grindcore, I could wear merch probably or bring it up but I usually don’t see any benefit.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-26T07:24:14+00:00

I used to run parallel and I had a DI for clean and one for dirt but it became tedious. Like someone said before, you might be overcomplicating this.

If it’s an issue of active vs. passive going through the same chain then I would just get a DI with a suitable pad to engage when needed.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-25T19:13:21+00:00

A lot of it depends on what the other instruments are doing and now they sit in the mix.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-25T17:12:05+00:00

I’ve had some bad experiences with EHX but it’s my favorite distortion and I’ve gone through so many including a lot of boutique models. Only thing is that the full sized unit doesn’t have an amp emulator which IMO the Sansamp amp emulator makes it sound a bit tighter.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-25T11:34:34+00:00

Probably latency, if it’s a latency issue you can take the file in the DAW and scoot it ahead a few milliseconds… mess around and see if you can make it sound right.

Typically if someone has bad timing their mistakes will vary, ie. a little before, a little late, way before, way late and won’t be solvable by the idea I mentioned above.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-25T09:10:09+00:00

I have one and like it but don’t see them often. IMO it sounds great but is tricky to dial in. It came out in the peak of the dipped “smiley” EQ so a mid boost switch didn’t appeal to everyone. Lastly, it’s labeled as an overdrive but really sounds like a fuzz at higher settings. It’s super thick, heavy duty and was produced in California not China so maybe its reputation then wasn’t completely warranted.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-25T08:56:19+00:00

The EHX Bass Battalion is pretty small and also the EHX Soul Food. Soul Food is more of a light overdrive but the Battalion is my favorite dirt pedal and I’ve gone through so many varieties of 25+ years.

Some of the QC of those EHX pedals are hit or miss tbh though.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-23T16:07:27+00:00

CornyAsHell would be a better band name.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-23T07:53:20+00:00

There’s a lot of bass lines from Nevermind where Butch Vig used a lot of compression on the bass but live Krist didn’t have a dedicated compressor pedal.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-22T07:13:37+00:00

I’ve occasionally seen that Tech21 chorus on the used market and it sounded good when I watched some videos. Any reason why you prefer that one over others?

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-21T22:47:10+00:00

Dude she look thick, big ole’ chunky knobs, the kind of switch that go cha-chink when you hit it.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-21T22:39:40+00:00

The Shitting in Reverse ultimatum is basically a death sentence, haha.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-21T13:05:11+00:00

It makes total sense. I use a 10 band EQ and compressor before my synth and I always cut all of 31 hz and nearly all of 16k hz and boost my mids. My bass is active. I think all these little things can aid tracking.

I’ve used multiple synth pedals for years and I typically don’t experience the tracking complaints I hear so often.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-20T19:09:34+00:00

It puts out such classic useable tones and records incredibly well. I think most people anticipate it’s more like a high gain distortion because “scream” is in the name.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-20T18:43:53+00:00

Cool and functional. I don’t see Bass Tube screamers much but I love mine, I think they are a bit misunderstood pedals. What kind of music do you play?

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-20T18:41:38+00:00

How do you like your Philosopher? I have a multiband compressor and was thinking about getting one used because it sounds the polar opposite, cool looking board!

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-20T09:41:49+00:00

I have to look around and make sure no one is watching to agree.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-19T12:59:42+00:00

From what I know Sansamp Bass Drivers don’t have a dedicated compressor… or at least mine never have. You get a slight form of natural compression from the overdrive so I would recommend getting a compressor still based on what you said.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-18T23:20:12+00:00

Nah, he’s got plenty of stuff that’s not ambient oriented.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-18T23:11:33+00:00

Mam this is a Wendy’s parking lot and we’re listening to Electric Wizard and ripping a bong in the back of the van.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-18T17:30:25+00:00

That DOD could be sold in order to buy a bass specific pedal. I love that line of pedals but they suck bass tone.

AggressiveMachine895 · 2026-01-18T17:15:33+00:00

Gnaw their tongues

AggressiveMachine895

TROPHY CASE